Iman is being honored at this year’s CFDAs (in June). She receiving the Fashion Icon Award, which is well-deserved and also… like, why has she never received the award before? Iman has been a fashion icon this whole time! Anyway, I think that’s why she was given this wonderful feature in Harper’s Bazaar. Taraji P. Henson conducted the interview, and it’s just a joy to read. Some highlights:
The best advice: “My mom always said, “Learn to say no and to walk away from things that don’t serve you.” “No” is a complete sentence. You don’t have to explain yourself.
On making an effort to ensure diversity on today’s runways: “There were more black models working back when I started than there have been recently. So Bethann Hardison, Naomi Campbell, and I got together a couple of years ago to raise awareness about the need for diversity in fashion. We talked about it in the press and to the CFDA, and I think we’re seeing the change on the runways and in campaigns…People used to say to me, “You just want to be invited to the table.” And I’m like, “F**k the table—I can buy my own table.” But the young girls who are coming up? They need to see themselves portrayed.”
How to help promote diversity in the industry: “If a designer boycotts me, I should boycott him. I’m not going to buy a bag from someone who doesn’t use black models. We should celebrate and highlight the people who actually step it up.”
On how her style has changed over time: “I’ve always lived by the philosophy that in a world full of trends, I want to remain a classic. True style is like a great black-and-white picture: It never looks dated.”
Investment pieces: “I still pull out one of my Yves Saint Laurent tuxedos from time to time, and everybody thinks it’s something new. Great bags also have longevity. I try to steer clear of trends, although I’ve been known to buy a pink Hermès bag.
Whether every woman should have a Birkin bag: “Yes, I do. But do as I say, not as I do, and go for one in black or dark chocolaty-brown.
Whether she has a lot of black in her closet: “Yes. People say that black is the absence of color, and I’m like, “No, black is a color!”
I love “No is a complete sentence.” Word. I wish I knew that when I was younger, but then again, I think it’s good to say “yes” to a lot of things when you’re younger, so you’ll learn from the good experiences as well as the bad. I like what she says about designers “boycotting” black models or models of color, and she says in the interview that she sometimes feel like the modeling industry is going backwards, that there were more black models in her day than there are now. And if you could only get one Birkin bag in one color, what would it be? I think I would probably go with black. Or maybe white? But definitely not brown. I don’t have many brown purses.
Photos courtesy of Dennis Leupold for Harper’s Bazaar, received via email from Hearts publicity.
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